The Hispanic College Fund and the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium announced today that student applications for the 2010 Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium are now available on www.hispanicyouth.org.

High school students scheduled to graduate with the Class of 2012 or Class of 2013 from Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and Tulare Counties are encouraged to apply to the program, which is focused on empowering youth for success in college, career and community service.

The Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium will take place from July 20-23, 2010, on the campus of California State University, Fresno.

Approximately 100 students will be selected to attend. Participation requires only a $10 commitment from students; all other expenses, including lodging, transportation and food, are covered.

During the Hispanic Youth Symposium, students will have the opportunity to connect with Hispanic mentors, attend workshops on college admissions and financial aid, compete for $10,500 in available scholarship funds, and meet with college admissions officers from local schools.

“Just last week, new research told us that even though more than 80 percent of California’s Hispanic students value higher education, very few actually make it to college graduation,” said Andrew Gonzalez, the Hispanic College Fund’s Western States Director of the Hispanic Youth Symposium.

“So we know that the Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium is more relevant than ever. We must prepare the next generation of Latinos by teaching them how to get into college, pay for it, and graduate ready to start a professional career.”

This is the fifth year that the symposium will be offered at Fresno State. Founded in 2004, the Hispanic Youth Symposium currently serves six cities and 1,600 students annually across the United States.

Following the conclusion of the symposium, students will be enrolled in the year-round programming of the Hispanic Youth Institute, which is designed to increase their college knowledge and help them maintain progress towards academic and professional success.

Key stakeholders involved in the 2010 Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium include: Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, University Outreach Services at Fresno State, USDA Forest Service Central California Consortium, Social Security Administration, Fresno State Lyles College of Engineering, USDA – Hispanic Serving Institutions National Program, Fresno State Educational Talent Search, Lambda Theta Phi – Latin Fraternity, Inc, Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc., and Artist Dora Mora.

Sponsors for the 2010 Central Valley HYS include Southwest Airlines, University of Phoenix Foundation, El Ruiz/Monterey Foods and the Fresno Regional Foundation.

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